Barbed Wire

During World War I, barbed wire was used for both defensive purposes and as a trapping mechanism. Soldiers would defend their trenches with barbed wire by installing the barbed wire a distance away on the ground from the tops of their trenches. When used as a trap, artillery and gun fire were sometimes used specifically to direct enemy soldiers into already constructed barbed wire snares. (U.S. Air Force photo)

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Barbed Wire

Note: This item is currently in storage.

This is one of five items that provide a special peek into the footlocker of a World War I American soldier. 1st Lt. Carroll DeWitt McClung was a pilot with the 28th Aero Squadron, 3rd Pursuit Group. He was trained as a pilot in the Nieuport aircraft and then flew the SPAD XIII in combat.

During World War I, barbed wire was used for both defensive purposes and as a trapping mechanism. Soldiers would defend their trenches with barbed wire by installing the barbed wire a distance away on the ground from the tops of their trenches. When used as a trap, artillery and gun fire were sometimes used specifically to direct enemy soldiers into already constructed barbed wire snares.

This piece of barbed wire is 11-1/4 inches long, and its individual barbs range from about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch long.

Donated by Edgar B. McClung.

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